Here in SoCal, we have five seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall and Award Season. The grand finale of 'Award Season' are the Academy Awards.

This year the ceremony takes place on February 27, 2011 at the Kodak Theatre and will be hosted by Gen Y stars James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

It's been a rough couple years for the annual telecast with ratings taking a bit of a hit---especially among Millennials. However, last year the Academy Awards made a concerted effort to attract youth to the show and it paid off with a 14% boost to Oscar TV ratings among 18-49 year olds.

The 2010 Oscars youth strategy included a more social media experience, the inclusion of teen friendly stars like Miley Cyrus, Zac Effron and Taylor Lautner as presenters, two original Oscars web series (Behind the Dress & The Road to the Oscars), extra video features and live streaming of the Red Carpet arrivals.

This year The Academy of Motion Picture Art & Sciences is once again rolling out the red carpet in a bid to attract a more youthful and technically savvy demographic with a new interactive technology that gives online Oscar fans the ultimate insider's view of Hollywood's biggest night.

The new premium feature is called Oscar All Access, and gives fans an insider’s view of the evening from the Red Carpet all the way through the Governor’s Ball.

Members (signing up is $4.99) actually will have the ability to control their own experience using the groundbreaking “360 cam” technology to control multiple cameras along the Red Carpet, at the Awards show, and afterwards at the Governor’s Ball.

In addition to Oscar All Access experience, the Academy also has an official Backstage PassiPhone and iPad App that allow you to have a more interactive social entertainment experience with the Academy Awards show. Hopefully next year they will expand the Backstage Pass to include all types of Android mobile devices.

It's great to see The Academy embracing new media and providing fans with a more interactive experience. Last year was a step in the right direction and hopefully their social TV friendly approach will pay off in big ratings boost among younger and tech savvy demographic groups.

P.S. As long as I have your attention, if you haven't already--go see Oscar host James Franco in his Oscar nominated role for the film 127 Hours. The story, the acting, the cinematography are amazing. Go James! Go Danny Boyle!

A new report by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center takes a look at the mobile media revolution that is changing the lives of adults, and now children of all ages, under way across the globe.

This report focuses on how new forms of digital media are influencing very young children and their families in the United States and how we can deploy smart mobile devices and applications-apps, for short-in particular, to help advance their education.

It does so in three parts: Part One discusses new trends in smart mobile devices, specifically the pass-back effect, which is when an adult passes his or her own device to a child.

Part Two presents the results of three new studies that were undertaken to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of using apps to promote learning among preschool- and early-elementary-aged children. Though designed to complement one another, each study approached mobile learning from a different angle.

Finally, Part Three discusses the implications these findings have for industry, education, and research.

From smartphones to 3D televisions, The Nielsen Company provides a view of the device usage and audiences in the U.S. For more, download Nielsen’s State of the Media – U.S. Audiences and Devices report (pdf).

This infographic, created by Section Design for the Japanese publication Courier Japon, is just a wee bit visually confusing, but it does add a very important insight about the way Apple sees innovation.

Looking at the data from the bottom of the infographic, apparently 68% of people plan to use it for Web surfing, while only 28% plan on using it for reading magazines.

That's astounding: You'd think either of those uses would be better served on another specialty device. But, through design and marketing, Apple makes all those products look as if they're somehow lacking. Magic, indeed.

Yes, like cropped tops and high-waisted Levis, vinyl records are making a comeback.

Why, when we have such lightweight, simple technology at the tip of our fingers, are teenagers fascinated by these oversized, nearly obsolete discs?

Perhaps it is the fact that most of us, used to having all our music stored in iPods that fit in the palm of our hands, completely missed out on the tangibility of records.

Even “vintage” music is becoming popular again. Shows such as “Glee,” in which the characters perform songs from every genre and era, are drumming up interest by teenagers in songs from America’s yesterdays

In this digital age kids are growing up in, songs skip around and change with the simple click of a button. Young people never physically see the music playing, and it doesn’t matter, so long as they hear what they want. But, there is a certain wonder to watching a record spin on a turntable and maneuvering the long, fragile needle.

Another possibility, of course, is that today’s teens are in awe of the amazing art displayed on the album covers. Sure, CD cases show interesting pictures, and occasionally album covers are displayed on iTunes, but there seems to be no comparison to looking at a 12-by-12 picture that adds a certain depth to the music.

As more and more people get iPads and other multiplatform devices that allow them to sit on the couch and socialize with friends while watching their favorite TV shows, traditional broadcast media outlets are looking for new and interesting ways to connect viewers to their programming and make it a more social experience.

Earlier today, Disney/ABC Television Group and The Nielsen Company announced the debut of ABC’s first-of-its-kind “My Generation” Sync iPad App that is designed to enhance the experience of watching ABC’s new show, “My Generation.”

Completely free to download and use, this innovative app makes watching “My Generation,” which premieres next Thursday, September 23rd at 8pm ET/PT on ABC an interactive experience.

The “My Generation” Sync app provides exclusive content and social media functionality on the iPad in real time as viewers watch the show – whether they watch it live or on DVR.

Using Nielson’s Media-Sync Platform and audio watermarks, the app automatically synchronizes with the television show and allows viewers to unlock content such as polls, trivia, behind-the-scenes info and more.

For younger viewers, television is a much more interesting and socially interactive experience when they can watch a show and discuss it in real time online with their friends. So it makes sense that ABC is looking at this trend and created this iPad app to provide younger viewers with a social tv experience.

The app also allows users to interact with other viewers through their various social networks as they watch the show. The app is free and available to download in the App Store on iPad.

As more and more people get iPads and other devices that allow them to sit on the couch and socialize with friends while watching their favorite TV shows, traditional broadcast media outlets will have to find new and interesting ways to connect viewers to their programming.

To help writers, editors, and content creators write effectively for the
Web, Yahoo! has published "The
Yahoo! Style Guide:
The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content
for
the Digital World," the first guide of its kind to focus on the
specific
issues associated with developing content for the online medium.

The Yahoo! Style Guidetakes the best of the decades-old AP Stylebook and combines it
with the new grammar rules that apply - or should be applied - in today’s
online content world.

The Yahoo! Style Guide shows how to write for an
international audience, an audience that has no borders,
significant
because the Web has become a one-stop shop for people
communicating with
others around the globe. The guide is an essential tool for anyone
who
must write for the Internet with clarity and precision.

NBC Turns Television into a Social Media Game: The endeavor is a network-wide initiative designed to leverage the
presence of show fans on social networks and incentivize them with
points for engaging with content — i.e. watching videos on NBC.com, Liking
shows, chatting and recruiting friends.

Points can be redeemed for
goodies like NBC merchandise, show previews, virtual goods, badges and
sweepstakes entries. [Mashable]

Creating a Content Driven Community: When you create a content-driven community, don't forget to set
measurable goals, establish meaningful benchmarks, evaluate results, and
document what moves the needle for the business. Every business already
has an organic community: its employees, partners, and, depending on
its degree of involvement, its customers. [Conversation Agent]

Will.I.Am: "The Music Industry is Gone": “The band of the future is not going to be a singer, a guitarist and a
bass player. It will be a singer, a guitarist, a bass player and a code
writer – the guy who does apps, computer animation. That is a group. It
is going to be about self-contained content-providers.” [Harlem Loves]

Overwhelmed? Welcome the Age of Curation: Still don’t believe we live in the Age of Curation, of which the iPad is
just a recent manifestation? Go save everything you run across to read
later using Instapaper, even from your Twitter and newsreader feeds
(themselves forms of curation), which you can then read on the
functionality-curating iPad and Kindle devices. Related:Trend Watch | Content Computing [Video][Wired] [Barking Robot]

Parents were found to underestimate the significance of
technology.
Asked to name the three most important things in their lives, the most
popular choices for girls were friends, family and then Facebook and
MSN. [BBC]

Connecting with Generation Z: Meet Generation Z, otherwise known as The Naturals. Give them any label
you like, but you better make sure your business understands this
powerful new generation of consumers that has never known life without
the internet. Related:Those Digital Natives? Not So Savvy.[nineMSN] [BarkingRobot]

In this video Forrester Research Analyst Sarah Rotman Epps talks about how
Apple's iPad and other tablet devices will usher in a new era of
personal computing. Forrester calls this "Curated Computing"-- a mode of
computing where choice is constrained to deliver less complex, more
relevant experiences.

There's more at stake here than just tablets:
Curated Computing will be the dominant design principle behind future
form factors like wearable devices.

Product strategists that don't want
to cede the future of devices to Apple should start thinking like museum
curators and editors: Sometimes less is more.

Apple iPad User Analysis: Just a week after the iPad’s launch, we began to analyze the behavior of
the first iPad users on the Yahoo! network. While some of the findings
were expected, there were a few surprises that popped. Related:US Twitter Demographics & Stats[Yahoo! Mobile] [Barking Robot]

Facebook-to-English Translator: Despite the voluminous buzz, many commentators have missed the most
confusing announcement of all — new Facebook jargon. So, in the
interests of helping users understand what's going on, we've put
together a rough Facebook-to-English translator. Think of it as a handy
phrase-book that could help you navigate through the more common
situations you'll find yourself in. [Electronic Freedom Foundation]

Kids Blood Glucose Meter Attaches to Nintendo DS: Every time a kid uses Didget to check
his blood glucose level, it awards points that can be used to buy items
and unravel new game levels within an associated game. The idea behind Didget is to encourage kids manage their diabetes by
rewarding them for regular blood glucose testing. [BoingBoing]

TED TV: The new initiative will allow television broadcasters around the world
to air the talks for free as well as create programming around them. One
of the primary goals behind the project is to extend the reach of TED’s
idea-spreading mission into the developing world. [JED]

Top 10 Entertainment iPad Apps for Kids: Sure, the new gadget isn’t perfect, but not to worry—techie geniuses
have been up since its release, working through the kinks and quirks.
Nothing left to do but the fun stuff; grab your kids and try out some of
the latest entertainment apps, adapted or created for the iPad. [Kideos]